Film roll accumulating device

Abstract

A film roll accumulating device for forming a filmstrip into a cylindrical film roll as for example in a camera or a film cassette, comprises an arcuate film guide at least partially enclosing a cylindrically-shaped space having a centerline. The arcuate film guide includes a film ingress opening through which a filmstrip can be fed to be guided concentrically about the centerline into a cylindrical film roll in the space, and is flexible and secured to permit the film ingress opening to widen to expand the cylindrically-shaped space concentrically about its centerline in order to accommodate enlargement of the cylindrical film roll without any shift in the centerline as additional film is fed through the opening.

I claim: 
     
       1. A film roll accumulating device for forming a filmstrip into a cylindrical film roll, comprising: an arcuate film guide at least partially enclosing a cylindrically-shaped space having a centerline, including a film ingress opening through which a filmstrip can be fed to be guided concentrically about the centerline into a cylindrical film roll in the space, and being flexible and secured to permit the film ingress opening to widen to expand the cylindrically-shaped space concentrically about its centerline in order to accommodate enlargement of the cylindrical film roll without any shift in the centerline as additional film is fed through the opening, and not being capable of recovering its shape after its film ingress opening is widened to expand the cylindrically-shaped space; and   a return spring biases said arcuate film guide to narrow the film ingress opening to contract the cylindrically-shaped space concentrically about its centerline.   
     
     
       2. A film roll accumulating device as recited in claim 1, wherein a housing contains said arcuate film guide, and said arcuate film guide has a pair of opposite ends spaced apart to define the film ingress opening and one of said opposite ends is pivotally connected to said housing to secure the arcuate film guide. 
     
     
       3. A film roll accumulating device as recited in claim 1, wherein said return spring is a resilient split collar located on a convex outer side of said arcuate film guide to float on said convex outer side concentrically about the centerline. 
     
     
       4. A film roll accumulating device as recited in claim 1, wherein said arcuate film guide includes an arcuate series of spacers projecting from a concave inner side of the arcuate film guide to bear against a central core concentric with the centerline to effect an arcuate gap between said concave inner side and said central core which is wider than the thickness of the filmstrip to allow initial film movement over the concave inner side. 
     
     
       5. A film roll accumulating device as recited in claim 1, wherein said arcuate film guide includes a pair of arcuate film rails projecting from a concave inner side of the arcuate film guide and an arcuate series of spacers projecting from said concave inner side beyond said film rails to bear against a central core concentric with the centerline to effect an arcuate gap between the film rails and said central core which is wider than the thickness of the filmstrip to allow initial film movement along the film rails. 
     
     
       6. A film roll accumulating device as recited in claim 4 or 5, wherein said central core is a battery. 
     
     
       7. A film roll accumulating device for forming a filmstrip into a cylindrical film roll, comprising: an arcuate film guide at least partially enclosing a cylindrically-shaped space having a centerline, including a film ingress opening through which a filmstrip can be fed to be guided concentrically about the centerline into a cylindrical film roll in the space, and being flexible and secured to permit the film ingress opening to widen to expand the cylindrically-shaped space concentrically about its centerline in order to accommodate enlargement of the cylindrical film roll without any shift in the centerline as additional film is fed through the opening, and including an arcuate series of spacers projecting from a concave inner side of the arcuate film guide to bear against a central core concentric with the centerline to effect an arcuate gap between said concave inner side and said central core which is wider than the thickness of the filmstrip to allow initial film movement over the concave inner side.